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| “ | The Black Rose shall bloom once more. | „ |
| ~ LeBlanc |
| “ | Do you see the truth of it, now? The truth behind the great empire of Noxus? So has it been for centuries, since the days of the first kings—no Grand General, no emperor or tyrant, can stand unless the mistress of the Immortal Bastion allows it. Many are those who would serve, though few prove worthy. | „ |
| ~ LeBlanc about the intentions of the Black Rose |
The Black Rose are one of the main antagonists in the League of Legends universe, as well as the overarching antagonists of Netflix's 2021 animated series Arcane.
An ancient and cult-like cabal, the Black Rose has pulled the strings and kept control of the empire of Noxus since immemorial times, before it even existed. For centuries, they have influenced aristocrats, noble houses, sorcerers, generals, and emperors across Runeterra at the biding of their matron, the pale woman LeBlanc.
Through their meddling in politics and countless magical experiments, the purpose of the Black Rose has been committed to the goal of preventing the return of the undead warlord Mordekaiser to the mortal plane, though the rise of Grand General Jericho Swain to the throne of Noxus has challenged their control and legitimacy.
Biography[]
Origins[]
Thousands of years before the Noxian Empire existed, when they were just a group of barbarian tribes called the Noxii, the Iron Revenant Mordekaiser built his reign forged with blood and death over the tribes. Hoping to defeat the dark lord, LeBlanc, a powerful sorceress from within his inner circle, conspired with a powerful Hemomancer called Vladimir, formulating a plot to destroy the source that gave him power: The Immortal Bastion, his personal fortress. Along with their fellow conspirators, the two sorcerers forged an alliance known as the Black Rose, and would work together within this secret cabal to seize power by any means necessary.
With the help of the Noxii tribes, the Black Rose severed the anchors that kept Mordekaiser's spirit inside the armor, and locked it away in a secret place. After the reign of Mordekaiser finally came to an end, both Vladimir and LeBlanc showed to be soul mates; bloodthirsty, cunning and power-hungry, both sorcerers feasted as equals. Thanks to this traits, both of them initiated a pact that would let them control the future of the withered Noxii tribe, that arose again from within the rubbish of the Immortal Bastion. Even after the story took care of erasing these two from the books, it didn't stop many powerful nobles, masters of magic and dark beings to follow their biding, building their own dark council behind the curtains of the new empire of Noxus. The ambitious Vladimir finally sought to leave the Black Rose to build a cult of his own, leaving LeBlanc as the sole commander of the cabal. And so, the story of the Black Rose began, but only those who are determined to follow the clandestine interest of the Pale Woman are worthy enough to coexist in.
The Black Rose once ran an academy for children born with magical powers, with the aim of creating a living weapon. LeBlanc found potential in a girl named Rell, so she requested the girl's parents to enrol her into the academy. Throughout her childhood, Rell had magical sigils grafted onto her, while her classmates gradually disappeared. On her sixteenth birthday, Rell decided she'd had enough and wanted to figure out what was going on. She found all of her "Nullified" classmates, with their magic drained out of them and being reduced to emotionless husks. It also turned out that Rell's mother had been working as an overseer for the academy. In a fit of rage, Rell destroyed the academy and went on a crusade to destroy the Black Rose, and Noxus as a whole as they let these atrocities continue for the longest time. While the Black Rose has been scrambling to pick up the pieces of their plan, Rell's crusades throughout Noxus continuously puts their reputation at risk.
Arcane[]
In Season 2 of Arcane, the Black Rose appear as Ambessa Medarda’s involvement in the Piltover-Zaun conflict becomes apparent. Disguised as a Piltovan merchant by the name of Amara, the Black Rose unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate Ambessa, which scares her into increasing her security detail. After a citywide terrorist attack on Piltover, the Black Rose manifests itself in Mel’s attendant, Elora, before Mel is kidnapped by the Black Rose’s magic. They later trick Mel into revealing information about her past using an illusion of her brother Kino, before attacking her forcing her to use her latent magical abilities intentionally for the first time.
After this, Mel is greeted by an illusory sorceress, who reveals this was all a test to induct Mel into their ranks. She states that Ambessa's arrogant meddling with the Arcane has made her a threat to Runeterra itself, and that she needs to be dealt with before it's too late. Mel, shocked and surprised that she is a mage, is reluctant to join the Black Rose, but the sorceress suggests that Mel does not have a choice, as if she does not kill her mother then the results would be catastrophic. The sorceress gives Mel a magic necklace, which she uses against Ambessa in the final battle. The plan is successful and Ambessa is killed, but Mel denounces the Rose shortly afterward and sends her away, suggesting that she and the sorceress will be enemies once Mel returns to Noxus.
Gallery[]
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 Villains
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Empire of Noxus Black Rose House Du Couteau House Medarda The Immortal Bastion Others Piltover & Zaun Silco’s Crew Glorious Evolved Enforcers House Medarda Sons of Ur Others Original Lore Demacia Mageseekers Ionia Order of Shadow Bilgewater The Freljord The Winter’s Claw Shurima Ixtal The Shadow Isles Others The Void Voidborn Servants of Bel'Veth Bandle City Demons Others Darkin Others | ||